Uber Crash Proves Night Vision Crucial for Autonomous Cars

May 29, 2018—Autonomous car researchers have been opening to the need to teach robots how to drive in the dark, reported Bloomberg.

After a fatal crash by an Uber self-driving SUV in Arizona, the crash was recreated using heat seeking, thermal-imaging sensors. The night vision technology clearly identified the pedestrian more than five seconds before impact, according to the report.

Companies such as Seek Thermal, which recreated the Uber crash, and headlight makers such as Osram have been pushing thermal and infrared sensors as the missing link in autonomous driving.